


Mutually Assured Decoration

by Ononymous



Series: Christmas 2020 Stories and Requests [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Pre-Undertale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28412538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: It's not the first time Asgore has decorated for the holidays with his employees. Though in front of the barrier is a new one, he can't deny.
Series: Christmas 2020 Stories and Requests [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2074179
Kudos: 5





	Mutually Assured Decoration

The bag jingled merrily as the King of Monsters watched the grey urban landscape beneath him, punctuated with blots of colour as decorations and lights were turned on at one apartment block or another. He nodded approvingly, checked that the bag contained everything he had been asked for, and continued into the castle from the walkway. As usual, he halted before entering the throne room to linger at what lay down those stairs, but aware someone was waiting on him, he broke his stare more quickly than usual and hurried inside. To his surprise, the Throne Room looked exactly as he left it the day before. No decorations or tree or ebouillient fish guardsman.

"Hello?" he called. "Undyne? Doctor Alphys?"

"Down here!" came the echoing reply.

"Ah," he said to himself, stepping past the flowers and into the rocky corridor beyond. But they weren't where it opened up into a cavern with a stray beam of wintry sunlight. So he continued on to the next even greated cavern, and even with the eerie lights and howling wind, the large angular tree stood out.

"There you are, Fluffybuns!" called Undyne as she shoved the last artificial branch into the metallic trunk which had been painted brown.

"Here I am," he agreed, holding up the bag of baubles. "I must say when you called to suggest we decorate, I hadn't thought to do it in front of the barrier."

"Oh, but it c-couldn't be anywhere else," said Alphys. "The effect will be m-maximized here."

"Hmm, well it is very unusual," said Asgore, looking at the overly complex base, "but perhaps that will bring more cheer."

"You got that right! Now hand over the goods."

Asgore complied. Soon the multicoloured baubles had been divided evenly among the three of them, each decorating the part of the tree their different heights could reach. Then Asgore planted three ropes of tinsel near the top, gave one each to his Royal Guard and Royal Scientist, and they edged around the tree to wrap it in clashing green and purple and orange.

"Do you have any lights?" asked Asgore, looking around the cavern. "You didn't mention them, I thought you brought some."

"N-no need, sir," said Alphys, "we have in built lights..." She bend down to the base and flicked a switch, and the trunk lit up with all sorts of lights arranged in straight lines, mostly green and red.

"Are they in the right position? Normally I would wrap them around the branches."

"It's the latest thing in Snowdin, Asgore," said Undyne, "trunk lights! Encourages you to focus on the heart of the holiday rather than getting distracted by the trivial branches of our lives."

"Oh, I see. That's a very interesting take, I like it." He nodded approvingly. "Are there any other decorations?"

"Just the star," said Undyne, "but before that, we gotta make it more festive."

"We do? How?"

"It's not just the outside," she patted his head, before moving down to his stomach, "but the inside!"

Alphys fiddled with a screwdriver to open a panel midway up the trunk. At the same time Undyne grabbed several other bags Asgore hadn't noticed. She pulled out a large glass jar of brown powder, and when she opened it the smell made Asgore wince slightly.

"Cinnamon," said Undyne, pouring it in the empty cavity of the tree. Then she took a second jar. "Brown sugar." She poured it in, then took out a green plant with red berries. "Holly." In it went, and out came a small bag. "Chestnuts! Oh crud, these aren't roasted. Asgore, could you...?"

"Oh, of course!" He took the bag from her, emptied it into one large hand and started cooking them with his fire magic. At the same time he saw her fill the tree with candy canes, more baubles, several stockings, presents wrapped in angry red paper, mince pies, a shiny red nose that also made Asgore think of past times, half a dozen crackers and a large Santa hat. No sooner had he finished roasting the chestnuts than she grabbed them and threw them in as well.

"Nearly there," she said, her single yellow eye narrowed with determination. "Doc, is there anything else we can do to make it more festive?"

"I c-can't think of anything," said Alphys, fiddling with what looked like her phone.

"Well," said Asgore, "how about we wish each other a Merry Gyftmas?"

Alphys' fiddling doubled in speed. "That sh-should do it, sire. Alright: Merry Gyftmas, U-U-Undyne!"

"Right back at you, Doc!" She gave Alphys an affectionate nougie. "And hope you have a happy new year too, Asgore."

"Thank you very much, Captain." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "And a Merry Gyftmas to both of you."

Alphys' phone squeaked. "That's it, p-peak festiveness!"

"Great! Just one more thing..." Undyne took out a large golden four pointed star, then genuflected at Asgore. "Sir, it would be my pleasure if you finished our tree."

"No," he said, "I refuse. This whole activity was your idea, Captain. It should be your own honour."

Undyne was put into a rare state of complete silence. Rather than process her emotions, she instead stretched to put the star on top of the tree. All three stood back to admire their handiwork.

"Magnificent," said Asgore. "Should we invite the rest of the guard to see what we've-"

"Okay Alph, do it!"

"In-initiating launch sequence."

"Launch..."

Asgore watched Alphys enter more commands on her phone, then heard a large mechanical whirring noise coming from the tree. Looking over, he saw it lean over, further and further, until the star was aimed straight at the barrier. His eyes glanced up and down the tree, and realised the silvery base had reconfigured itself into what looked like a rocket exhaust.

"Um, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Undyne flashed a razor sharp grin. "We're gonna break the barrier!"

"Break... how?"

"Well," said Undyne, with the air of explaining water is wet, "Santa is in the Underground, right?"

He couldn't meet her eye. "...I guess..."

"But he's on the surface among humans too, right?"

"Well, that's what we think..."

"So how the heck does he cross the barrier all the time?"

"..." explained Asgore.

"I f-found some notes," said Alphys, "from Doctor..." The three of them scratched their heads. "It asked the s-same question, and concluded some sort of m-magic related to the h-holidays, but they didn't figure out what it was."

"So the Doc was explaining this to me, and I concluded the only sensible thing was to try and make something as holly jolly as the big guy himself, and maybe it would trick the barrier into opening up for it or something, and that's when he strike. Ngah!"

"...but..." muttered Asgore.

"I admit, the calculations I've r-run don't indicate much probability of success," said Alphys, "but U-U-Undyne has a knack for convincing me it'll w-work."

"...but..."

"So ya ready to feel the sun on your face?"

He looked at the two eager faces. "...yes."

"Awesome! Now get behind the blast shield painted like a snowy house, and we'll join you shortly!"

Asgore took the security advice of his top bodyguard, his own smile preserved by the hope they'd poured into this endeavour. He didn't have much time to dwell on it, before being pushed a little to make room for the schemers.

"All systems g-green," said Alphys, handing Undyne the phone. "In your own time."

"This'll work in no time," whispered Undyne. "Ho... ho... **HO!** "

She stabbed the onscreen button, and a roar as the Intra-Cavern Yule-istic Treessile shuddered into life. Asgore saw some flames get close to them, so conjured a shield of fire to keep them getting any closer. It felt like the whole of Mount Ebott was shaking as the rocket struggled to free itself from its moorings.

Alphys looked at the phone's readout. "Estimated im-impact with barrier in... oh, right now-"

The eerie light of the barrier was subsumed by pure white light, causing all to shut their eyes. There was no crash or barrier-shattering kaboom, but the noise was completely unexpected. A cacophane of voices singing something rather like "Hallelujah!" It was several long moments before any of them dared open their eyes, revealing the barrier just as eerie and howling as usual. Peeking over the blast shield, all that was left was the launch pad and two baubles that had shaken off during launch.

"Nuts!" spat Undyne. "Where'd it go?!"

"There must have b-been some k-kind of resonance domino effect t-that cancelled out the festive p-properties," said Alphys. "I d-don't know why it's gone, but at l-least we're okay, right Undyne?"

Undyne curled up into a ball, unmistakably sulking. She didn't even move when Asgore picked her up.

"Thank you for trying this, Undyne," said Asgore. "I'm sure the good doctor can use this as part of her work to break the barrier. And sometimes, it doesn't hurt to try something unusual."

"Ruzzuh fuzzuh rupid rarrier," she snarled.

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Nng."

"One lump or two?"

"...three."

"Alright. Doctor, you as well? It's the holidays after all, you should take a break."

"...okay. Thanks, sir."

Asgore carried Undyne out of the cavern with Alphys close behind him. Twenty meters away, bathed in the peak of the midwinter sun, a plastic four pointed star rested innocently on a plateau on Mount Ebott.

**Author's Note:**

> Original suggestion: Undyne and Alphys attempt to make a Christmas tree-like ICBM…with a warhead full of brown sugar and cinnamon
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
